The intense rivalry between Kosťuková and Sabalenkova was evident even after the final in Brisbane. The Ukrainian once again did not shake hands with the world number one. With this gesture, she defines herself against all Russian and Belarusian players since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Belarusian Sabalenko kissed both biceps after her triumph 6:4, 6:3. She reacted to Kostuková’s comments about the higher level of testosterone in some stars.
Brisbane Finals:
Another shock came during the trophy presentation. Instead of playing tennis, a visibly moved Ukrainian spoke about the hardships of her compatriots in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia together with Belarus in 2022.
“I want to say a few words about Ukraine. Every day I play with pain in my heart,” began Kostyukova. “Thousands of people are without electricity and hot water right now. It’s -20 degrees outside. It’s very painful to live in this reality every day. My sister sleeps under three blankets because it’s very cold at home. I was incredibly touched and happy to see so many Ukrainian flags here.”
Sabalenková only thinks about tennis
She later said at a press conference that she was not going to remain silent. “I have a voice. It’s not okay in my position not to talk about it. It’s just… inhumane to me.” She described the harsh reality of power outages, noting that while her parents have generators, other relatives are forced to walk indoors in jackets to survive the winter.
After defending the title, Sabalenková reacted lukewarmly to the refusal to shake hands. “Well, it’s her attitude. What can I do about it? I don’t mind,” replied the four-time Grand Slam champion. “When I go to the court, I think about my tennis… I don’t care if Marta Kosťuková or Jessica Pegulová is there. I go to the court as an athlete and I try my best. I have nothing to prove.”
The current queen of tennis distanced herself from the Belarusian government in 2023. “I don’t support war, which means I don’t currently support (President) Lukashenko,” she said at the time, facing questions about her stance on the war in Ukraine and skipping a press conference to protect her mental health.
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